mckinleygriggs
Active Member
Anyway you would mind looking into a fitness channel and give me some advice?
Allow me to gaze upon your channel...
- Thread starter Klink
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Julius Gacgacao
Loving YTtalk
Tell me what you think. About my newest video. It's a trailer for a film I'm uploading next week.
LostTrigger
YTtalk Mad
Thanks! I think I missed the review when you first posted it haha
DeeplyRetro
New Member
Klink
I've Got It
@gerard loughran
Generally if you can avoid it, do so. Some of the big YouTubers are part of multi-channel networks (MCNs), where they would be more than happy to take a hit for licensing fees of copy written music on the prospects that the content creator will make that money back in ad revenue. Other times they just get lucky.
The reason I say to avoid using copy written music is because it won't take much for an executive or some employee at these record labels having a bad day to start Content ID-ing everything and everyone. Hell, take a look at the whole 'Fine Brothers' situation where at one point they were perfectly fine (although still dodgy) and the next, they wanted to control and gain money from everyone using the word 'React'.
My advice in this regard is more of a cautionary one, as you don't want someone tanking your entire channel for a small snippet of music.
@TVJunkie93
Let's start with your product/branding. Your logo is incredibly simple however, I think you've added too many styles to it which looks cheap. Take out the 'Bevel & Emboss', remove the drop shadow and even consider removing the 'lost signal' colours within the TV frame. Sometimes the simplest designs are the best and adding too many styles and detail can be detremental to good design.
I've never done this before in this thread but I want to give you an idea on an even simpler logo design than the one you have now and I want you to compare them. Keep in mind this was an incredibly simple job; the typeface was chosen at random, I haven't curved the edges and I haven't spaced out the elements evenly. The point I'm trying to make is that sometimes simple is better.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/pzdu8cbahldhduf/tvj.png?dl=0
I do like that you've created a frame around your thumbnails although the colour should match the frame of your logo. I understand why you did it as it's harder to see on darker thumbnails but that just means you should change the colour of the frame in your logo. Also consider adding your 'TVJ' logo within the thumbnails to denote that the content belongs to you.
From a production quality standpoint, it's pretty decent although you can improve it immensely. Your logo sting is great and the background you use for your greenscreen is solid. That being stated, you can work a lot more with your alpha channels as there is still a green glow surrounding you. This is most likely because you have the green screen sitting quite close to you when you should have it quite far away and independently lit. I do need to point out that it definitely improved in your later videos.
Your audio is spotty. You need to invest in a pop filter for your microphone to knock out those plosives and you need to make sure your audio has a consistent level. In your X-Files video, it started off great and then towards the end got louder for no apparent reason. Again this isn't a problem in your later videos but it's something you need to be mindful of.
Other than that I wish you the best of luck with your channel. You have improved significantly and there's no doubt you've invested quite a lot already for your production values and it shows.
@MrMauriceTL
Ok, so you have a decent mic. How far away is it from your mouth? Generally, the closer you can get it to your mouth (without it appearing on camera), the clearer you can hear your voice and knock out any of the background noise bleeding through, although don't get it too close as if you start to raise your voice/scream you'll peak the audio in no time. Do a few test recordings in different mic positions and choose what sounds best to you.
@mckinleygriggs
I love the logo, the colours and the typeface used within your channel header. Overall it's designed great! It's a shame to see none of those aspects being used in your thumbnails. If you have access to the logo or the typeface, use them in your thumbnails for future videos.
For the videos themselves they're not too bad. They're edited well and I understand you're using your phone as it's quick, simple and easy to carry around and whip out whenever you want to do a vlog. For the times you're vlogging at home, you may want to consider getting a dedicated video camera (although not entirely necessary).
Keep your brand consistent, keep a regular upload schedule as best as you can and overall remain persistent. Like your health, the more you persist the better you'll get and the more likely you are to succeed.
@Julius Gacgacao
I'm only going to be critiquing your latest video (trailer) as requested.
If possible, save up and get yourself a shotgun microphone or 2 wireless lavalier/lapel mics and an external field recorder like a Zoom H4n. On camera audio is terrible in most cases. You can tell because starting from the second shot where you see the dude in the cloak with the weapon, you can hear the air conditioner kicking in.
Lighting is not great. The number one rule when it comes to lighting in film - if it looks like you have enough light, add more light. There's no seperation between your actors and the background and there's a lot of hard shadows obscuring your actors' faces.
You've used a cinematic aspect ratio/bars but that illusion is destroyed the moment you added in the explosion effect; the explosion is sitting in front of the bar and not behind it.
That's all I can tell from just the trailer. Hope this helps.
Generally if you can avoid it, do so. Some of the big YouTubers are part of multi-channel networks (MCNs), where they would be more than happy to take a hit for licensing fees of copy written music on the prospects that the content creator will make that money back in ad revenue. Other times they just get lucky.
The reason I say to avoid using copy written music is because it won't take much for an executive or some employee at these record labels having a bad day to start Content ID-ing everything and everyone. Hell, take a look at the whole 'Fine Brothers' situation where at one point they were perfectly fine (although still dodgy) and the next, they wanted to control and gain money from everyone using the word 'React'.
My advice in this regard is more of a cautionary one, as you don't want someone tanking your entire channel for a small snippet of music.
@TVJunkie93
Let's start with your product/branding. Your logo is incredibly simple however, I think you've added too many styles to it which looks cheap. Take out the 'Bevel & Emboss', remove the drop shadow and even consider removing the 'lost signal' colours within the TV frame. Sometimes the simplest designs are the best and adding too many styles and detail can be detremental to good design.
I've never done this before in this thread but I want to give you an idea on an even simpler logo design than the one you have now and I want you to compare them. Keep in mind this was an incredibly simple job; the typeface was chosen at random, I haven't curved the edges and I haven't spaced out the elements evenly. The point I'm trying to make is that sometimes simple is better.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/pzdu8cbahldhduf/tvj.png?dl=0
I do like that you've created a frame around your thumbnails although the colour should match the frame of your logo. I understand why you did it as it's harder to see on darker thumbnails but that just means you should change the colour of the frame in your logo. Also consider adding your 'TVJ' logo within the thumbnails to denote that the content belongs to you.
From a production quality standpoint, it's pretty decent although you can improve it immensely. Your logo sting is great and the background you use for your greenscreen is solid. That being stated, you can work a lot more with your alpha channels as there is still a green glow surrounding you. This is most likely because you have the green screen sitting quite close to you when you should have it quite far away and independently lit. I do need to point out that it definitely improved in your later videos.
Your audio is spotty. You need to invest in a pop filter for your microphone to knock out those plosives and you need to make sure your audio has a consistent level. In your X-Files video, it started off great and then towards the end got louder for no apparent reason. Again this isn't a problem in your later videos but it's something you need to be mindful of.
Other than that I wish you the best of luck with your channel. You have improved significantly and there's no doubt you've invested quite a lot already for your production values and it shows.
@MrMauriceTL
Ok, so you have a decent mic. How far away is it from your mouth? Generally, the closer you can get it to your mouth (without it appearing on camera), the clearer you can hear your voice and knock out any of the background noise bleeding through, although don't get it too close as if you start to raise your voice/scream you'll peak the audio in no time. Do a few test recordings in different mic positions and choose what sounds best to you.
@mckinleygriggs
I love the logo, the colours and the typeface used within your channel header. Overall it's designed great! It's a shame to see none of those aspects being used in your thumbnails. If you have access to the logo or the typeface, use them in your thumbnails for future videos.
For the videos themselves they're not too bad. They're edited well and I understand you're using your phone as it's quick, simple and easy to carry around and whip out whenever you want to do a vlog. For the times you're vlogging at home, you may want to consider getting a dedicated video camera (although not entirely necessary).
Keep your brand consistent, keep a regular upload schedule as best as you can and overall remain persistent. Like your health, the more you persist the better you'll get and the more likely you are to succeed.
@Julius Gacgacao
I'm only going to be critiquing your latest video (trailer) as requested.
If possible, save up and get yourself a shotgun microphone or 2 wireless lavalier/lapel mics and an external field recorder like a Zoom H4n. On camera audio is terrible in most cases. You can tell because starting from the second shot where you see the dude in the cloak with the weapon, you can hear the air conditioner kicking in.
Lighting is not great. The number one rule when it comes to lighting in film - if it looks like you have enough light, add more light. There's no seperation between your actors and the background and there's a lot of hard shadows obscuring your actors' faces.
You've used a cinematic aspect ratio/bars but that illusion is destroyed the moment you added in the explosion effect; the explosion is sitting in front of the bar and not behind it.
That's all I can tell from just the trailer. Hope this helps.
Klink
I've Got It
@DeeplyRetro
I do find it interesting that your gaming videos are for the most part based on mobile ports or are exclusively mobile games. I'm interested to see how or if your channel will grow since traditionally mobile games/ports don't track well on YouTube at all.
I like the typeface and overall large pixel gradient design of your logo and channel header but not a fan of your face pasted at the end haphazardly. Looks incredibly cheap. I have noticed that some of your thumbnails are treated with the same pixel gradient but there's no logo there to denote the content belongs to you.
You also seriously need to invest in a better microphone. The one you have now is incredibly low quality and you peak your audio constantly. You also need to mix the audio so that the volumes are as level as possible instead of getting louder and softer at random intervals for no apparent reason.
@JayTV
I like the design of your logo sting although I'm not sure if the music is copywritten. Thumbnails need work as they're nothing more than snapshots from the videos themselves. Try to incorporate your logo or colours into the thumbnails so they don't look cheap.
You may want to consider investing in a higher quality camera but like other channels I've reviewed in this thread, I get the appeal of just using your phone for those quick, off-the-cuff moments. It really depends on how far you want to take your channel.
It's a good start but if you want to take this seriously then you need to consider investing in some higher quality gear.
I do find it interesting that your gaming videos are for the most part based on mobile ports or are exclusively mobile games. I'm interested to see how or if your channel will grow since traditionally mobile games/ports don't track well on YouTube at all.
I like the typeface and overall large pixel gradient design of your logo and channel header but not a fan of your face pasted at the end haphazardly. Looks incredibly cheap. I have noticed that some of your thumbnails are treated with the same pixel gradient but there's no logo there to denote the content belongs to you.
You also seriously need to invest in a better microphone. The one you have now is incredibly low quality and you peak your audio constantly. You also need to mix the audio so that the volumes are as level as possible instead of getting louder and softer at random intervals for no apparent reason.
@JayTV
I like the design of your logo sting although I'm not sure if the music is copywritten. Thumbnails need work as they're nothing more than snapshots from the videos themselves. Try to incorporate your logo or colours into the thumbnails so they don't look cheap.
You may want to consider investing in a higher quality camera but like other channels I've reviewed in this thread, I get the appeal of just using your phone for those quick, off-the-cuff moments. It really depends on how far you want to take your channel.
It's a good start but if you want to take this seriously then you need to consider investing in some higher quality gear.
Life_of_Tygo
Liking YTtalk
@Life_of_Tygo
Your avatar, channel header and even logo sting in the latest video are inconsistent. The Paw print logo as is needs a little work. Perhaps making the bottom, larger pad of the paw print into a stylised 'T' to represent Tygo might work. Try to incorporate that into the thumbnails of your video and your channel header.
For your content, you may want to consider getting a higher quality camera although it may not be feasible given the circumstances. Lugging around a huge camera to record Tygo's walk/playtime/etc will be difficult and you may not be able to capture those spontaneous moments.
If anything, keep a regular upload schedule, work on the thumbnails/logo/branding and you should do fine.
Allright man, thanks for the constructive criticism and advice.
Your avatar, channel header and even logo sting in the latest video are inconsistent. The Paw print logo as is needs a little work. Perhaps making the bottom, larger pad of the paw print into a stylised 'T' to represent Tygo might work. Try to incorporate that into the thumbnails of your video and your channel header.
For your content, you may want to consider getting a higher quality camera although it may not be feasible given the circumstances. Lugging around a huge camera to record Tygo's walk/playtime/etc will be difficult and you may not be able to capture those spontaneous moments.
If anything, keep a regular upload schedule, work on the thumbnails/logo/branding and you should do fine.
Allright man, thanks for the constructive criticism and advice.
mckinleygriggs
Active Member
Thanks so much for the review! I will try and get ahold of the font and see if I can include that in my thumbnails.
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